1998 Atlantic hurricane season (Nova)
The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was the first below-average season since the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season which happened four years prior. The season featured thirteen tropical depressions, nine tropical storms, four hurricanes, and one major hurricane. The strongest storm of the season was Hurricane Earl, which had peak winds of 120 mph (195 km/h), and a pressure of 959 millibars (28.32 inHg). The season featured some costly and deadly storms, especially Tropical Storm Georges that made landfall on Belize, and was the worst tropical cyclone to struck the country since Hurricane Allison of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season. Another significant storm was Hurricane Ivan, which ravaged the island of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, as well as Georgia. The name Georges and Ivan were retired later on. Not only costly and deadly storms, but also interesting storms, especially Hurricane Darianne, that was the smallest tropical cyclone to reach hurricane intensity. Darianne's hurricane force winds extended 11.5 miles from the center of the storm. Another interesting storm of the season was Tropical Storm Charley, which moved erraticly, and was long-lived despite not reaching hurricane intensity. Tropical Depression One, the first system of the season, formed on June 27, 1998, almost 27 days after the season officially started. While the last storm of the season, Hurricane Ivan, dissipated on November 2, 1998, 28 days before the season officially ended. The first storm of the season formed on July 31, which was Tropical Storm Allen. Allen formed on July 29, and reached its tropical storm intensity on July 31. Shortly thereafter, Allen made landfall on Veracruz, Mexico. The season was expected to be near normal and above-average by many, but a Weak El Niño formed on the spring of 1998, days after the retirements for 1997 were held. After the end of the season, a non-tropical system formed near New England, ravaging the coast of New York and New Jersey. Timeline & summary ImageSize = width:800 height:230 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/06/2016 till:15/11/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/06/2016 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_≤39_mph_(≤62_km/h) id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117_km/h) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(118–153_km/h) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_96–110_mph_(154–177_km/h) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_111–129_mph_(178–208_km/h) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_130–156_mph_(209–251_km/h) id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_≥157_mph_(≥252_km/h) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/06/2016 till:01/07/2016 text:June from:01/07/2016 till:01/08/2016 text:July from:01/08/2016 till:01/09/2016 text:August from:01/09/2016 till:01/10/2016 text:September from:01/10/2016 till:01/11/2016 text:October from:01/11/2016 till:15/11/2016 text:November TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:(618,30) text:"Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale)" The season was below-average and inactive in terms of tropical cyclone activity. The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was the first inactive Atlantic hurricane season since the 1994 season. The first hurricane, Hurricane Darianne, formed on August. The presence of a weak El Niño caused the low activity of the season. Not only that, the season also had a low ACE (accumulated cyclone energy) than the 1994 season. Activity The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season was the first below average season since 1994. Due to the presence of a weak El Niño, the season was inactive. Unlike 1994, it featured one major hurricane. The weak El Niño started to dissipate at the end of the season, and a La Niña formed on early January. The first system formed on June 27, 1998, while the last storm dissipated on November 2, 1998. Impact The season was inactive yet featured deadly and destructive storms like Tropical Storm Georges. Georges impacted the region of Belize as a weak tropical storm and remained stationary, causing catastrophic damages, and became the first tropical cyclone to make landfall on Belize since Hurricane Allison of 1989 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Ivan, a Category 2 hurricane, struck the regions of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Bahamas, and Georgia. Ivan was the costliest tropical cyclone of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. Category:Past Hurricane Seasons Category:Past Atlantic Seasons Category:Below Average Category:1998 Atlantic hurricane season Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons Category:Inactive hurricane seasons Category:Costly storms Category:Deadly storms